• Desert Rose, watercolor, 9 x 12, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

In mid December I had the privilege and opportunity to join my friend and sister artist Nikki Kinne for a week of RV camping and plein air painting in southern Arizona.  If you have read this blog before you know that Nikki is the Alaskan artist that I did the 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project with this summer, documenting it in this blog.  Later, in September Nikki joined me in Door County to help me teach a watercolor workshop at Lawrence University’s northern campus, Bjorklunden.  Despite all our fun together in 2011 we still wanted a chance to actually take the time to paint together, and circumstances arranged themselves (with our help) to make that possible.

In mid December I flew to Arizona where Nikki met me at the Phoenix airport and swept me away to the beautiful  Desert Rose Baha’i Institute campus where Nikki and her husband Ken park their RV camper.   There we experienced a lovely desert sunset, and an evening of catching up.  The next morning we set off to drive the RV to Patagonia Lake State Park south of Tucson, near Nogales, Arizona, just north of the border with Mexico.

Patagonia Lake State Park turns out to be on the migratory path for many birds.   It was teeming with all manner of waterfowl.  (In fact the 2011 birdwatching film The Big Year  did some of its filming there.) Within 15 minutes of being in the park I startled a Blue Heron and several other birds.

Upon arriving in the park I started right in on a plein air,  “in the open air,” painting. Plein air painting is important for more than the lovely paintings that can be the result.  The joy of taking the time to carefully observe nature is my favorite part of painting this way.  There are few times when most of us slow down enough to allow ourselves the privilege of just sitting and looking at the wonder of the nature that surrounds us.  There is something about trying to render what I see in paint or pencil that brings a special kind of focused attention to the details of nature.  I never see so clearly as when I try to draw or paint what I am looking at.  I can sit and stare for hours, seeing with amazement what other times I might not notice at all.  If I had never drawn or painted I would start now just so I could give myself permission to learn to look at nature with my full attention.

Padagonia Lake State Park, Arizona, watercolor, 5x8, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

As night fell over the park more of the magic of the place emerged.  As we took an evening stroll the full moon rose over the park with an amazing ring around it.  Slowly, as a few clouds moved through the sky the ring around the moon  suddenly became a spiral around the moon, evoking an unnatural magic in the natural world.  It promised that the whole trip would have a special kind of magic to it, and I was not disappointed.

Spiral Moon, watercolor, 5x8, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

December 10, 2011 Eclipse, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

It was actually the was the second day of our painting excursion that was the most magical.  We were lucky to be in the park  on December 10th, 2011.  We woke up at 5:00 am and got ourselves down to the lake shore to watch the early morning lunar eclipse. We were determined to be there to watch the moon as it found itself positioned in its orbit to pass through Earth’s shadow.  After watching the eclipse we headed back to the camper for breakfast and to capture our memories in sketches.

Lake Patagonia Lunar Eclipse, watercolor pencils, 5x8, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

Nikki and I each have several other art projects underway and are involved in our home art communities. We spent the afternoon painting and catching up on our current projects, and began to plan for future shared creative projects.

The creative work of the day wasn’t over as evening fell.  We decided to participate in a sunset/moonrise hike in  newly formed Sonotia Creek State Natural Area that abuts the park.  The hike is offered by park volunteers monthly.  With a dozen other people we hiked up a rock and cactus covered hill to the to where we could see wonderful vistas in each direction,  Nikki documented the experience in photographs.  After a magical evening watching the sun set over Arizona and the moon rise over Mexico we hiked back down the hillside with our memories and Nikki’s photos to inspire visual memory paintings when it was too cold or wet to paint outside.  We  created these next few  paintings to remember the wonderful experience of the transition between day and night in this wild area.

Ocotillo, watercolor, 5x8, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

A new body of work I have begun includes images of thorny vines.  On our hike I became fascinated by the thorny Ocotilla shrubs that cover the hillsides. They seemed to be living embodiments of the metaphor I have been working with as I imagine a new series of paintings.  I’ve been researching the plants ever since I came home (their blooms are pollinated by humming birds in the spring and they can perform photosynthesis in their BARK!).

Spiral Cactus, watercolor on canvas, 12x14, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

For this mid-westerner the Barrel Cactus are fascinating too, especially observing the way their fruit grow, which in this instance seemed to repeat the spiral theme that was with me my whole time in the park.  Nikki convinced me to try out painting on a watercolor canvas too.  I’ll be exploring this approach more in the future because it was a lot of fun working on a non-absorbent surface that makes lift-out so easy.  (You have to seal paintings watercolor canvas with a spray fixative in the same way you seal paintings on Yupo Paper).

Sunset Moonlight Hike, watercolor, 3x9, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

Nikki painted the beautiful work above recording the wonderful vistas we could see from the top of the hill as we watched the sun set.  I was inspired by one of Nikki’s documenting photographs to paint the work below.

Sunset Red Lace, watercolor, 12x16, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

It was a magical day starting with a lunar eclipse and ending with watching the full moon rise over Mexico.  I’m sure bits and pieces of the day will appear in my paintings for years to come.

Moonrise over Mexico, watercolor 5x8, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

During our five days in the park we painted from life when the weather allowed and  captured our experiences of the area as memories when it was too cool or rainy to paint outside.  We also spent a day being tourists, heading to Tubac, a local artist community (the town has been hosting the Tucbac Festival of the Arts every February since 1959.)  I’d love to return their in February to catch the festival and revisit some of the artisan shops we saw.

Patgonia Lake in the Rain, watercolor, 12x16, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

The last couple of days in the park were amazing rainy days, putting a hold on our plans to do further plein air painting.   I was able to do some nice little grey paintings out the window of the camper (above) but we were not to get another chance to actually paint outside.  We both worked on our memory pieces and developed ideas for future works.   Nikki finished the painting sevre in-progress pieces and the painting below in anticipation of an upcoming show.

Wild Rose, Watercolor on Aquaboard, 10x14, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

It didn’t feel limiting despite our inability to go outside.  (Who knew it would rain so much and for so long in December in Arizona!) We were able to work from our memories, sketches, and documentary photographs. I found that by thinking of the little paintings I was doing as saving visual memories  and ideas for future works rather than fully finished artworks I was free to play and just see what happened.

Kinne Klebesadel Camper Exhibition, Patagonia Lake, December 13, 2011

Because of the rain we spent a pleasant two days painting indoors, catching up, and planning for our next joint project.  We are just starting another collaborative project.  We have begun to work on new bodies of artwork that will address a shared theme focused on growth and renewal out of dark times.  We hope to be ready to exhibit the work in 2013, and are looking for venues that would be interested in exhibiting watercolors so please send suggestions of possible places to exhibit this new work together.

On our last day we headed north to Scottsdale where we were treated to a personal tour of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art by the my friend Timothy Rodgers who is its Director.  Its a lovely museum doing very exciting programing with changing exhibitions, as well as being the home of an amazing James Turell skyspace called Knight Rise.

Nikki Kinne in the driver's seat. Thank you Nikki!

From the museum we headed back to the airport, where I bid goodbye to Nikki and my wonderful week of painting plein air and creating visual memories.  Thanks to Nikki Kinne (and Ken Kojker) for sharing their camper and giving me a very special time in painting in Arizona.

Helen Painting, digital photo, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

If you have never taken the time to sit and stare at where a ridge meets the sky or how a branch attaches to the trunk of a tree, or how a hillside reflects in a lake, I encourage you to put all fear aside and go for it.   If you do you could discover that the experience of careful observation is satisfying in itself and that it is aided by trying to record it as a visual memory.  If you do want to consider plein air painting or drawing here are a few hints about how to set yourself up for a successful experience:

Here is what I pack for plein air painting expeditions:

7×9 Arches Field Watercolor Book

9 x 12″ and 12 x 16″ Arches watercolor blocks (Watercolor blocks are great because the paper doesn’t have to be stretched and you do not need a board to attach you paper to, but since the watercolor paper is layered and glued in a solid block you cannot remove your painting from the block until its dry.  You will need two, so you can work on a second painting while the first painting is drying.

Canteen of water to drink and to paint with

At least three of my favorite brushes, #8, #4, #2 rounds

Set of 12 watercolor pencils and/or permanent colored ultrafine sharpies

Winsor Newton Masking Fluid

Rubber shaper brush to apply mask

Rubber Cement Pickup to remove mask

Old toothbrush for texture painting and applying mask (I spatter the mask with a toothbrush to achieve the stars in night skies).

A roll of masking tape ( I like to mask off the borders of the paintings I do  for the visual effect but this is not necessary on a watercolor block).

Two small water containers, one to clean the brush and one to provide clan water to paint with.

Two packets of paper tissue or a small roll of paper towels

#2 Pencil and sharpener

I have two favorite watercolor kits that I use depending on the occasion:

Small:  Winsor Newton Field Set (this and a set of watercolor postcards are all you really need)

Larger:  Capri Watercolor Box  (this allows me to carry my studio on a shoulder strap.  I can use my tube watercolors in the included pallet, and have room for my brushes, extra paint and a water container).

Bring a small camera to document what you are painting to review later if needed.

Decide if you need to bring something to sit.  Dress comfortably, wear a cap or wide brimmed hat to keep the sun out of your eyes.  Prepare for bugs.

Have a great time!

Finally, one last thank you to Ken Kokjer for giving up his time with Nikki and to Nikki Kinne for sharing her precious painting time in Arizona with me.  What a gift!  I had  great time!

The exhibit opening is 7-9pm, Saturday, Dec. 3; Gallery Night in Mineral Point. Story Pottery is at the corner of Commerce and Fountain Streets.   Music from the Krause family and the works of many other local artists will be presented.  Little Libraries made from recycled Eatmore Cranberry crates will also be on display, as will a Library decorated entirely in birch bark totems from the Mille Lacs reservation and the products of Amish craftsmen.

Proceeds from my Library sale will go to the Grassroots Leadership College (GLC).  I serve on the board of the GLC.  It is a wonderful Wisconsin organization offering trainings and activities that support community engagement related to their mission “Everyone is a Learner, Everyone is a Teacher, Everyone if a Leader.”  It offers an organizing semester for aspiring leaders, community forums and other workshops, including the ‘Prepared and Peaceful’ non-violence trainings that were so effective at the Madison Capitol during the protest gatherings last spring.  (You can donate to continuing the work of  Grassroots Leadership College, or become a sustaining member, on their website here: http://www.grassrootsleadershipcollege.org/)

The very first Little Library was built in the memory of June A. Bol. It sits in the front yard of a home above the St. Croix River in Hudson, Wisconsin.

I have been following the little free library movement since first discovering one of the libraries while walking my dog in my near East-side Madison, WI neighborhood.  I learned that the little free libraries are an entrepreneurial approach to promoting literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide, as well as working to build a sense of community through share skills, creativity, and wisdom across generations.

There is a network of Little Libraries where I live in Madison, Wisconsin and the surrounding area now includes more than 40, hosted by families, neighborhood groups, coffee shops, businesses and schools.

Little Free Library Stewards (sponsors) may provide the books that stock the libraries, often with themes specific to their location or to the concerns of their sponsoring organizations.  The Little Free Library coordinators also have relationships with organizations, publishers, and other sources of books that can help establish a themed collection. Operating under the principle that ‘you cannot steal a free book’ the organizers have found that there are very few negative incidents.

The organizers hope to endow more than 2,500 libraries around the world, with the goal of topping their inspiration, Andrew Carnegie who funded 2,509 full-sized free community libraries between 1888 and 1929.  Each of these Little Free Libraries will offer books free to the general public. Their collections  change as more people give and borrow books.

I was inspired to paint a one-of-a-kind Little Free Library (LFL)  after meeting Richard Brooks  at a yard sale fundraiser  I was coordinating to support the ongoing work of the Grassroots Leadership College (GLC).   (Rick Brooks is a co-founder of the project along with Todd Bol ).  Rick dropped off donations for a yard sale and chatted with me just long enough to convince me I  wanted to contribute my creativity to support both the Little Free Library movement and the Grassroots Leadership College.  Rick left the yard sale with one less library in his vehicle and I had added a new project to my plate.

Yellow Lady Slippers, watercolor, 24x22, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

I decided that in painting my first little free library I would paint the fours seasons with environmental and nature themes I have explored in my watercolors.  I love painting the wild orchids of Wisconsin, and the spring plenty of the wild morel mushrooms.  I’ve included many of my favorite watercolor subjects in nature from each season.  The spring lady slippers, trillium, and morel mushrooms, give way to summer sunflowers, lilies, cone flowers and iris as you move around the library.

By the time I move into fall and winter I painted asters, sumac, daisies, more cone flowers, with a background of  bare winter branches.  Most of these subjects have occurred in my paintings before, including one of my favorite topics of the lace of winter branches.

Winter Lace, watercolor, 30x22, ©2010 Helen Klebesadel

The non-profit Little Libraries project promotes reading for children, literacy for adults and libraries around the world.  As they the project participants build Libraries for their neighbors, they also raise funds to build similar book exchanges in other communities in need, especially in developing countries.  They do that through their Wisconsin Partners “Pay it Forward Fund,’ with contributions from the Madison Community Foundation and Capital Times Kids Fund and individual donations, have made it possible for many communities to participate.

Individuals and organizations can purchase a library or you can get the plans to build your own and register for a small fee donated to the ‘Pay it Forward Fund.’

Soon, as volunteer labor allows, each Little Free Library will have their  Global Positioning Coordinates marked on a Google Map so they can be visited.

Many communities organize the purchase of a library with fundraising or marketing campaigns around an issue or an organization they want to bring attention to, much like I am using my library to bring more support to the Grassroots Leadership College.  Local nonprofits, businesses and institutions have expressed an interest in supporting 5, 10, 20 or more Little Libraries as part of their outreach efforts.

There are a number of ways you can join the Free little Library movement, help provide free, good books for people, and promote a love of reading and literacy.  You can volunteer to be a builder, a sponsor, or a steward, or a contributor to the Pay it Forward Fund that ensures every place that wants a Little Free Library can have one.

Oh yes, and you can contribute your creativity to painting, decorating, or creating new styles and creative construction of the one-of-a-kind libraries.  Take it from me, its a lot of fun!

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the media is representing the Occupy Wall Street Movement (now worldwide), how new social networking media allows it to control its message,  and how it compares with how past activist movements focused on positive social change have been represented.   In particular, I thought of the Women’s Action Coalition.  It was started  in New York City in 1992, in response to the outrage they felt about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings. The logo that has been used to represent the WAC was the blue dot used to obscure a rape victim’s identity during trials.  Many of the participating members were women artists.  Chapters were subsequently formed in other U.S. cities, including Boston, San Francisco, Houston, and Los Angeles, as well as internationally in Canada and Europe. WAC employed a direct action approach similar to that of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) and the Women’s Health Action Coalition (WHAM), which encouraged activities such as demonstrations, sit-ins, civil disobedience, educational forums, and letter writing campaigns. This organization was considered a grass-roots organization with no hierarchical structure (sound familiar?).   WAC maintained a high profile and national actions for at least two years.  What might happen if Occupy Wall Street (with its great inclusion of Occupy art) maintains the momentum to continue for two years or more?

I started thinking about what has come before, the lasting effects,  and how it has and has not been documented.  That got me looking around for a larger discussion of the feminist movement in the U.S. and in particular, the Feminist Art Movement.  If you look for it you can find a fair amount of documentation of earlier social justice actions, including those in the arts.

(I’ve corrected an error and added additional information in the paragraphs below since first publishing the blog entry.)

There have been a number of important exhibitions documenting feminist art and activism in recent years.  Their catalogs are useful sources of information on the art and artists.

One such source is the catalog for Wack! Art and the Feminist Revolution, which was a 2007 exhibition curated by Connie Butler for MOCA that sought to document  feminist art practice from 1965-1980.  Its title references the acronyms of a lot of activist groups from the late 1960s and early 1970s that were undertaking cultural work relating to a range of issues, including women’s issues.   The groups included Art Workers Coalition (AWC) , Women Artists in Revolution (WAR) , and  Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (WITCH) (Humor in protest performance to make a point is not new.  In 1968, women from W.I.T.C.H. staged a “hex” of Wall Street at a branch of Chase Manhattan Bank, wearing rags and fright makeup).

Another catalog from the same year, Global Feminisms:  New Directions in Feminist Art,  curated by Linda Nochlin and Maura Reilly, emphasizes that there is “not a single unitary feminism any more than there is a timeless, universal ‘woman’, but rather, that there are varied, multiple, unstable constructions of female subjects and their predicaments and situations. “

Other useful overarching survey books include: 

The Power of Feminist Art:  The American Movement of the 1970′s,   History and Impact, edited by Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrad, 1996, and

Arts and Feminism(published first  in 2001 but coming out soon in paperback) by Helena Reckitt and, Peggy Phelan.

Continuing my research I found a wonderful interview with Ruth Weisberg, a co-founder of the Women’s Caucus for Art and a past president of the College Art Association.  This interview is a part of the fabulous Otis College of Art and Design, Pioneers of the Feminist Art Movement which includes such feminist artists from Los Angeles such  as: Rachel Rossenthal; Joyce Kozloff; Bruria Finkel; Gilah Hirsch, and Helen Redman.  The Redman interview includes a nice segment with artist  Anne Isolde, the historian for Judy Chicago‘s feminist installation The Dinner Party.

These videos emphasised west coast feminist art which was centered around the Los Angeles Women’s Building and the Feminist Studio Workshop (one of the first feminist art schools for women started in 1973  by Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro,  Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, and Arlene Raven).

I continued my search for available interviews with founding feminist artists who were not based in LA, leading me to  Miriam Schapiro and Mary Beth Edelson discussion of the idealism in the Feminist Art Movement.  They mention the emergence of west coast  feminist art collective  Heresies (1977-1992) and their journal, which is remembered in the documentary Heretics.  Thanks to the film producers you can download copies of the journal Heresies here.  Other members of the Heresies were Joan Braderman (director of Heretics), Mary Beth Edelson, Harmony Hammond, Elizabeth Hess, Arlene Ladden, Lucy Lippard, Miriam Schapiro and May Stevens.

Those that know me personally know its not an accident that my day job is directing the UW System Women’s Studies Consortium.   I am a feminist and an artist.   My interests  are especially engaged  where those two identities meet.  You may be able to tell that I have great respect for those women artists who worked before of me to make a place for women’s creative voices in our national cultural dialogs.  I have fond memories of being a past president of the national Women’s Caucus for Art (from 1994-96), the oldest (40 years of feminist activism)  multi-disciplinary women’s art organization in the U.S.

The Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) grew out of women’s activism to make the College Art Association (the major scholarly organization for academically based studio artists and art historians) a more user friendly place for women in the 70′s.  The WSC currently has 27 local WSC  chapters that are joined in a network under the umbrella of the national organization, with a number of caucuses that include the Jewish Women Artists Network (JWAN); the Eco-Arts Caucus; and the International Caucus.  They also have an active Young Women’s Caucus (YWC) where emerging women artists are defining their own version of contemporary feminist art.

Ruth Weisberg  was one of the artists who has been recognized in past years by the Women’s Caucus for Art with their Lifetime Achievement Awards.  The 2012 awards are being jointly presented by the Women’s Caucus for Art and the College Art Association Committee on Women at the annual conference February 23-27 in Los Angeles.  The 2012  recipients are historian Whitney Chadwick, artist Suzanne Lacy,  art librarian and co-director of the Feminist Art Project,  Ferris Olin, feminist gallery owner Bernice Steinbaum, and feminist film-maker and scholar Trinh T. Minh-ha.  These awards have been given since 1979, and the recipients are a whose-who of feminist art.  The WCA now makes the awards catalogs available in PDF form on their website.

Other documenting video of the  US Feminist Art Movement:

 Women Art Revolution is a documentary that follows the feminist art movement over four decades. This interview with director  Lynn Hershman Leeson gives a little background on the film, including a couple of congressional responses to Judy Chicago’s  important feminist  installation, the Dinner Party, and an interview with a founding Guerrilla Girl.

KT Press, publisher of n.paradoxa international feminist art journal offers a fine international list of feminist exhibition catalogs, as well as a chronological list of feminist art Manifestos and Feminist Manifestos that have had an impact on the women’s art movement and the creation of feminist art.  They also offer an international list of journals and  books and articles on contemporary feminist art practice, as well as international feminist art websites.

Here are a few additional US feminist artists among the many, many more  you should have heard of and been taught about. (Please forgive me for all those many important feminist artists I have not listed).  Check out the Brooklyn Museum’s  Feminist Art Base for many other feminist identified artists.

Jerri Allyn; Ida Applebroog; Tomie Arai; Ruth Asawa; Eleanor Antin; Laura Aguilar;  Nancy Azara, Judy Baca; Judith K. Brodsky; Beverly Buchanan; Elizabeth Catlett; Leonora Carrington; Tee Corinne; Betsy Damon; Joanna Frueh; Cherie Gaulke; Esther Hernandez; Holly Hughes;  Barbara Kruger; Hung Liu;  Yolanda López; Margo Machida; . Muriel Magenta; Agnes Martin; Anna Mendieta;   Elizabeth Murray; Alice Neel;  Catherine Opie; Beverly Pepper; Howardena Pindel; Adrien Piper;  Jaune Quick-To-See Smith;    Faith Ringgold; Martha Rosler;  Betye Saar; Cindy Sherman; Carolee Schneemann; Lorna Simpson; Sylvia Sleigh, Barbara T Smith; Nancy Spero; Mierle Laderman Ukeles; Kay WalkingStick;   June Claire Wayne;  Faith Wilding; Hanna Wilke; Flo Oy Wong; Yoko Ono

Friends & Favorites by Sally Noland

One of the nicest things about teaching adult art workshops is the wonderful people you meet who participate in them.  People who take art workshops tend to be life-long learners who are engaged in the world and interested in honing their creative abilities and exploring new art processes.  More and more I am meeting individuals who in retirement are creating whole new lives as artists and creative explorers.   It goes without saying that some of them become fast friends that you look forward to seeing regularly.

Sally Noland and her husband Jim Hilger are just such people.  They have taken my Bjorklunden workshop at least eight times as well as attending one in Mineral Points wonderful Shake Rag Alley School of Arts and Crafts.  We are always happy to see each other and often stay in touch between workshops.

Sally is a wonderful painter but her artistic passions really lay in fibers.  The quilt introducing this post is called  Friends & Favorites.   It features  blocks Sally won in her guild block raffle, where quilters make blocks using batik fabrics and then draw for to see who will win sets of the blocks entered.  Sally says, “I really hoped to win and then I DID!!!  I made extra blocks for my quilting friends to sign so I’d have enough to make the outer border, then picked some favorite quilt blocks for the center and made those so they’d fit together using mainly batiks.

The detail photo below shows some of the signatures and quilting.  Sally and Jim split their time between Illinois and Texas.  The quilt includes signatures of friends from both places.

Friends and Favorites detail

In a previous post I mentioned that Sally’s husband Jim loves to do and create crossword puzzles.  He as even has had some of his own making accepted in the New York Times. Her quilt Oldies But Goodies is a tribute to Jim.  He created the music-themed crossword featured in the quilt, which was no surprise since he also collects records.  (He has about 10,000 in his collection.)  Sally is willing to try new technologies in her quilting.  The images of vinyl records she used in the quilt and the giant crossword puzzle were all created on an ink-jet printer.

Oldies But Goodies by Sally Noland

Record fans have fun looking at the labels. They include the Davenport-based Fredlo label, featuring The Sotos Brothers with “Little Lila,” and a rare, Texas-based Bo-Kay label featuring Elroy Dietzel and the Rhythm Bandits with “Teenage Ball.

Oldies but Goodies detail

I have mentioned before that I have turned a number of my painting and watercolor experiments into fabric designs.  Sally surprised me this year by making me a quilt using two of my fabrics that I had given her last year in a quilt that she gave me,  The fabric patterns are ‘Karners Love Lupine’, and ‘Bee Good.‘

Karners Love Lupin fabric pattern by Helen Klebesadel

Bee Good fabric design by Helen Klebesadel

Bjorklunden Beauty by Sally Noland

You can see by the look on my face that I am thrilled with the lovely quilt that Sally gave me designed around my fabrics.  My spouse Akeem is equally thrilled to be the recipient of a lovely Sally Noland quilt created using a “Stack-n-Wack” technique.

Stacknwhack Siesta

I asked Sally to share the story of her passion for quilting in her own words, and to mention some of the quilters that have influenced her own creative journey.

Sally Noland:  Artist in Fabric

I started quilting in 1990, attending the local Mississippi Valley Quilter’s Guild monthly meetings, buying a couple of fabrics and a pattern for my first quilt, and taking my first class.  I had been interested in quilts before that, going to quilt shows and museum exhibits, etc., but I just decided, along with a good friend, to get going on quilting as a hobby in 1990.  On our first trip to Door County in the early 1990′s, I remember stopping at quilt shops and fabric stores along the way for the first time and returning home with the beginnings of my now huge collection of fabrics for future projects, known as my “Stash”.  I had heard that you must buy fabrics when you see ones you like, as you may never see them again; that continues to be true, as each quilt shop is different and the growing number of fabric companies and designers ensures that it will always be the case.

Chamelion Camellias

Most of my quilts have been made since I retired in 2001; before that, I could count the number of my quilts on my fingers.  Attending several sit & sew groups in Amarillo and the Quad-Cities has provided me a great deal of support and encouragement in my quilt-making, along with making new friends.

Ill Take You Home Again Kathleen by Sally Noland

(The above quilt is one Sally is most proud of.  It is and original design that she made for her late mother, depicting the four houses her mother had lived in during her life in Amarillo, Texas, and four scenes related to her mother’s life. The quilt was a 90th birthday present.  The image below shows the details of the porch swing, pet dog Cloudy Knight, and several birds in the trees, bush, and air.)

I'll take You Home Again Kathleen detail

I love the fabrics, the endless variety of quilt patterns, the continuing learning of new techniques, the wonderful people you meet, and being able to make and give a unique gift of a quilt to my friends and family.

Quilter Joe Cunningham says “The quilt is the perfect existential object! It soothes the pain of existence by beautifying your surroundings, and you can also wrap up in it against the coldness of the universe.” 

I enjoy the creative process of getting an idea for a quilt, thinking of what fabrics, patterns, concepts to include, and going through the steps to completion: cutting, sewing blocks, appliquéing, using a design wall to try out ideas, final sewing of the whole piece and borders, deciding on quilting patterns, and finally sewing the binding, hanging sleeve, and label.  Most of my quilts are machine quilted by long-arm quilters; I have quilted a few by hand and a few on my home sewing machine.

My Stars by Sally Noland

‘My Stars’ is a quilt I made back in 2005, to test out a new pattern by Sally Schneider of Albuquerque NM.  I had just taken a class with her in IL and she asked if some of us would be willing to try out her pattern and give her feedback before the pattern was published commercially.  I made the quilt and sent her a photo and some feedback.

Our local guild has nationally-known speakers occasionally and I have been privileged to take many classes through the guild over the years from talented local quilters and nationally-known quilt professionals, such as Gwen Marston, Sally Schneider, Sharon Schamber, Suzanne Marshall, John Flynn, Ruth McDowell, Anita Shackelford, Harriett Hargrave, Jeana Kimball, Bettina Havig, Julie Silber, Kim Diehl, Elsie Campbell, and most recently Ricky Tims, Alex Anderson, and Libby Lehman.

Thank you for sharing your passion with us Sally!

Bjorklunden Chapel collaborative watercolor Summer 2011

I already miss my 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project with Nikki Kinne but I am looking forward to seeing her in person and painting and teaching together in Door County in September.  In the meantime I have been trying to continue my daily practice of painting.

In August and September this year I am doing a lot of face-to-face teaching of watercolor and creativity workshops which means I do lots of demonstrations.  Teaching others is a critical part of my creative process.  My workshops remind me of the expansive possibilities and promise of my favorite medium, watercolor, as well as of how mixed-media collage can make use of visual materials to aid creative thinking processes.   I am offering weekend watercolor and creativity workshops  the next two weekends at the Wyoming Valley School  near Spring Green, Wisconsin and I offer several on-line self-directed classes year-round  through the Art Outreach section of UW-Madison Continuing Education.

My daily practice was much aided by the week-long watercolor workshop I taught last week at the magical the Door County campus of Lawrence University, Bjorklunden.  I would like to use today’s post to share some of the wonderful works created by my workshop participants last week.  Unfortunately I do not have photos of everyone’s work but I can give you an overview of the many creative voices that emerged in the week of watercolor wonder.

Ann Baruth, Appleton Wisconsin

While there were a number of beginners in the workshop the majority of painters this year were repeat attendees, and a good number of them are VERY experienced artists in their own right, joining the workshop for the creative camaraderie and atmosphere of learning sharing that occurs on all levels at Bjorklunden every year.  Ann Baruth is one of the more experienced participants, she has a degree in art and is an art teacher and  a professional illustrator, but her love of learning brings her to the workshop.  What a good role model for her students.  (While this workshop was more Intermediate/Advanced due to the number of experienced participants  September 18-23rd  watercolor workshop  at Bjorklunden, Watercolor a Fresh Start, will have a majority of beginners, and will be geared for participants who have never touched a brush before).

Bianca Anderla, Appleton, WI

In this workshop I am not the only teacher.  I often call on the participants to share their techniques and strategies with each other and me.  Bianca shared her technique for treating the watercolor paper with acrylic gel medium before starting to paint, allowing her to do easy lift-out of color after her washes have dried.  She combined that process with the wet-into-wet approach I encourage in the workshop to create this luminous work.

Peg Ginsberg, Blue Mounds, WI

Another professional artist in the class is Peg Ginsberg.  She owns a studio-gallery where she sells her work and teaches watercolor classes in Mt. Horeb, WI.  This work, with its lovely droplets inspired the whole class, and I asked Peg to demo her process.  You will could see variations on the theme of droplets in other works created this week.  Its wonderful to be in a setting where people share their knowledge and skills so freely.

Judith Overcash, Safety Harbor, Florida

Another very experienced artist in the workshop who shares freely of her knowledge is Judith Overcash.  Judith has been in the class fourteen of the 15 years I have taught it (others have taken the workshop 3, 5, 8, and 10 times, creating a very special atmosphere and creative community).  Judith, a retired art teacher, oozes creativity and models life-long learning.  She freely shares her knowledge of book making, jewelry making, painting with acrylic watercolors, and, her knowledge of Salvador Dali, as a docent at the new Dali Museum in Safety Harbor Florida.  This year she combined one of her paintings with mixed media collage to create a Joseph Cornell style box.

Sally Noland, Moline IL

Not everyone in the class is a professional painter.  But many who participate are artists in other media too.  Sally Noland of Moline, IL has been in the class eight or more times doing lovely little watercolors that show her love of color and texture.  However Sally’s first love is quilting.  I hope to feature Sally’s work as a quilter in a future blog posting.  We are the proud owners of two of Sally’s Quilts.

Jim Hilger, Moline, IL

Sally’s husband Jim Hilger is a another workshop regular.  While he could be a professional illustrator and cartoonist if he wasn’t having so much fun being retired, he prefers to keep it a hobby and enjoys painting with Sally when they are not busy with their many other creative pursuits.   You can see in this piece how he played with Peg’s droplets exercise to reflect on reflection.  His first love is creating cross-word puzzles, however, and he has had his puzzles published in the New York Times several times.  Here is one special puzzle he made just for our class a few years ago.

Watercolor crossword puzzle by Jim Hilger

Phyllis Dintenfass, Appleton, WI

We did have a couple of true beginning watercolor students in the class. A wonderful professional bead artist Phyllis Dintenfass completed all the watercolor tech sheets AND created this first watercolor inspired the shadows of a flower bouquet.

Phyllis’ partner in taking the watercolor workshop  for the first time was Judy Gaines.  Judy too completed all the color wheels and technical sheets that I ask first and second time participants to do AND she jumped in with both feet to complete a lovely large expressive landscape in transparent watercolor.

Judy Gaines, Appleton, WI

Cathy Tronquet joined us all the way from Oregon for the first time thanks to an invitation from her long time friend and watercolor workshop veteran Judy Catlin.

Judy Catlin, Appleton, WI

Cathy, already an accomplished painter,  explored wet-into-wet techniques in combination with liquid mask resist to create this lovely work.  Cathy learned that you have to stick with it to get the results you want, and that sometimes the results along the way are unexpected.

Sitting near Cathy in the studio was her friend Judy Catlin who did a number of lovely nature studies and explored the relationship of her art process to her love of nature.

Danielle Devereaux-Weber, Madison, WI

Liz Heuser, Minnetonka, MN

Second time participant Liz Hueser also did a number of lovely works including the watercolor here.

Despite being very productive and pushing through to learn new things in their painting I  was too late with my camera to capture some very exciting works by Grace Frudden of Madison (I’ll get your work in September Grace), and Nancy Homberg of Appleton, but I hope to have a chance to do so in the future.

We had a lovely time during the week celebrating the birthday of Mary Wall.   Mary has joined us in the workshop many times, taking what she learns home to  Iowa City to share in an open studio she runs.  Mary’s bold colors and whimsical creations of seas and nature are a highlight of the workshop when ever she joins us.  This year she did not disappoint as she worked magic with a fan brush to create this wonderful fishing bear.

Mary Wall, Iowa City

Poet Rusty McKenzie is also a long term watercolor workshop participant.  She has the title of ‘waxed paper guru’ for her wonderful textured abstracted creations that we all try to emulate.  Below is one of her creations from which she has pulled out the image of a golden fish.

Rusty McKensie, Menaha, WI

The final image in this post is by  first time workshop participant  Susan Nitzke.  While it was her first workshop with me she brought considerable skill and experience with her.  Susan was lured to join us by Danielle, and we were glad, especially as we watched this lovely large watercolor emerge throughout the week,

Susan Nitzki, Madison, WI

I’d like to thank the Bjorklunden staff for supporting our efforts last week (Lawrence students and the Bjorklunden professional staff took VERY good care of us and fed us well.  I also want to thank the entire group of watercolor workshop participants for making this one of the most productive and fun summers for Watercolor The Expressive Medium.  Each person had a part in weaving the magic we experienced by letting go of fears, sharing skills and knowledge freely, and generally immersing themselves in the experimental  creative process.  Thank you!  I look forward to seeing you again in September!

Summer class of 2011 at Bjorklunden

Summer Dance, 9 x 6, watercolor, , ©2011 Nikki Kinne

Welcome to the final day of the 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project of Alaskan artist  Nikki Kinne and Wisconsin artist Helen Klebesadel.  I cannot believe the thirty-third day has  come so quickly. This has been an amazing experience.

For her final painting in the series Nikki stayed close to home.  Sometimes the best subjects are just outside our front door.  This was a quick study of wonderful lily flowers from Nikki’s yard.  When Nikki lets go of her inclination to do photo-realism, and moves into a more expressive mode she creates dynamic expressions.  Nikki says of this approach that when she tries to just ” grab for a gut response it seems my paintings have more life in them.”    She wants both the satisfaction and control she can achieve with photo-realism, AND the dynamic expression possible when responding with spontaneity to a subject.  Nikki wants then BOTH, and I do too.  What a wonderful celebration of painting for our final day in this project!

Water Lilies, 12 x 28, watercolor, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

My final painting is my largest to date and it builds upon my earlier studies of waterlilies.  I had a wonderful time shaping the pedals and creating surface textures on the surface that disguised the twining stems below the surface.   I hope you enjoy looking at the painting even half as much as I enjoyed painting it.

This has been an amazing experience for me.  The commitment to daily painting is something I have promoted for years but all to often it was a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do suggestion.  Having committed to this process and received the grace and benefit of the experience I know that I will continue this commitment on my own for as long as I can manage.

Additionally Nikki and I are planning to develop a two-person art exhibition of larger new works that we will be creating over the next year around a shared theme.  We will be checking in with each other at least monthly to see how our work is progressing and to share ideas back and forth in a way  that we hope will make the new collaborative project every bit as fulfilling and successful as this one has been.

I’m a great one for reflection and review of where I’ve been as I think about where I am going next.  I couldn’t resist putting up all of  the thirty-three paintings I’ve created over the last month and three days to see what I had accomplished.

The 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project

Here is a closer view that shows you the sizes of works in relation to each other.

Half of 33 Paintings in 33 Days

And another…

Half of 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project

Thank you to everyone who accompanied Nikki Kinne and I on this project.  Knowing you joined us made our experience all the better.  And, thank you to Nikki Kinne for saying ‘yes’ to this project and to living fully in this world as an artist.  Its a pleasure painting with you!

All of my paintings for this project are (or soon will be) be found on my art facebook page and available works for sale can be found in my Meylah Marketplace on-line store.  You can learn more about Nikki Kinnes painting and find artworks she has availabel for sale on her artist website.

Thank you.

Crow Dusk, 13 x 18, watercolor, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

Welcome to day thirty-two in the 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project of Alaskan artist  Nikki Kinne and Wisconsin artist Helen Klebesadel.

In my Crow Dusk painting I revisited a study I did earlier in this project and honed the idea a bit to bring more layers of meaning to the painting.  Its not uncommon for me to revisit an idea and play with it multiple times to see what greater potential an idea has.

In this case, I was thinking about how the crows darken the sky when the fly by en masse to find their evening roost.  They cave come to mean ‘dusk’ for me.  In this painting I show the stars and the moon in the bodies of the crows.  They literally bring the night.    I am sure this idea will reappear latter in a larger, multi-layered painting when the time is right.

Its not unusual for audience members or students new to art-making to think that artworks spring fully developed from the brains and hands of an artist.  After all, we only see finished artwork in the galleries and museums that exhibit art.  We don’t usually get to see the experimental and exploratory works that lead to larger finished compositions. For every masterwork hanging in a museum there are usually many many artworks created before and after that special piece that honed an idea, or developed special skills.

Easy Does It, 2 1/2 x 3 1/2, watercolor, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

For day thirty-two Nikki needed something easy and fun.  For an incredibly busy day she gave herself permission to work small (artist trading card sized), easy and fun.  She gave herself over to the joy of the mark and this is the lovely little creations she came up with.  It sings of sunshine.

I can’t let this post pass without acknowledging that Friday, August 5th marks the one year anniversary of the existence of the Co-op Arts Artist Co-operative in Fairbanks, Alaska.  Last summer, when I was visiting and teaching at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the Co-op was in the final stages prior to opening.

Ken Kokjer, Nikki’s husband, is the Co-op Art co-owner and manager.  In 2010, prompted by the closing of three art galleries that significantly impacted the professional art community in Fairbanks, Ken, Nikki, and several of the current artists decided to do something about the fact that artists no longer had a place to display their art, and the public had lost the opportunity to enjoy the creativity and inspiration of a very talented segment of their community.   Co-Op Arts has worked hard over the last year to fill a small bit of the gap in the downtown arts scene.

Building a successful art business in this day and age is quite a feat.  Ken brings quiet leadership in his management of the group built upon his engineer’s organizing skills, his levelheadedness,  and his profound sense of fairness.  It helps that he really likes artists, being a vocal musician himself.  Of course the ten participating  artists have all also worked incredibly hard to bring the gallery into reality, to maintain a vibrant inventory, to staff the store, and to celebrate each month with a First Friday reception.  I can not resist the opportunity to give a special shout out to Kate Wood and Margaret Donat, both especially talented artists I got to know last summer thanks to my friendship with Nikki Kinne, artist extraordinaire.

In just a year the gallery has become  become such a profound presence in Fairbanks that Co-op Arts was awarded a Friends of the Arts recognition by the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce in January.  Please join me in congratulating Co-op Arts Artist Co-operative for a year well done.

If you are in the area Friday August 5th stop in, 5:00-8:00 and celebrate the First Friday event featuring Kate Wood’s watercolor works in Peaks of High & Low, then go again next month, September 2,  and see Margaret Donat’s works in a series entitled, Alaskan Men.

Thank you for coming with Nikki and I  as we explore the world of a-painting-a-day inspired by the world around us.

My daily works for this project available for sale online in my Meylah shop here: http://meylah.com/HelenKle​besadel  I post them each day after they are posted in the blog.

Running In Circles, 6x4, watercolor, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

Welcome to day thirty-one in the 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project of Alaskan artist  Nikki Kinne and Wisconsin artist Helen Klebesadel.

Nikki Kinne and I have a lot in common besides a love of watercolor, nature,  and helping others find their creative voices.  We are both people inclined to be a little over committed.  This comes through in Nikki’s description for her thirty-first painting.

The painting is about  “Just running too fast.  When I closed my eyes I saw the pit with white circles getting smaller and smaller.  This painting had more of a playful feeling than the image I saw.  In fact, in the painting of the black pit of white circles I started feeling better. “

Slowing down to spend time painting is a good way to center ourselves and notice what really matters.

Water-lilies and Koi, 7 x 10, watercolor, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

To create this piece I used one of the  techniques I teach in my watercolor workshops to get the wonderful textures of the water.   To create it I start with a wet surface and then drop colors into the water and let them blend on their own.  I took a few liberties with the subject. While I did drip yellow onto the surface to blend I really hadn’t intended to include Koi fish in the painting (actually we call them ‘Carp’ in Wisconsin).  However, when the paint dried I could see them circling just under the surface so, after contemplating the painting for a while,  I defined them just enough to make them more visible.

Thank you for joining us as we share our creative thinking through collaborative sharing.

I am now making my daily works for this project available for sale online in my Meylah shop here: http://meylah.com/HelenKle​besadel  I post them each day after they are posted in the blog.

Bluebird, 9x12, waterolor, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

Welcome to day thirty in the 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project of Alaskan artist Nikki Kinne and Wisconsin artist Helen Klebesadel.  I cannot believe how quickly this month is going by.

For my 30th day’s painting I reverted to a subject I’ve painted in the past.  Painting bluebirds was one of my first commissions.  I remember fondly that both my Aunt Meg and my Grandmother Ruth asked me to paint them bluebird paintings.  It was especially significant because both were near the end of their lives when they requested these images.  Now I think of them as a sort of spirit guide, which actually means I pay close attention when one crosses my path.  For the rest of the world, in many many cultures,  they may represent the ‘bluebird of happiness,‘ but for me they symbolize stripping away the trappings of life and getting down to what really matters.  I think its interesting that in at least one European myth (The Blue Bird) with the bluebird at its center the moral of the story is “…that the search for happiness is ongoing, and it is to be found within oneself.”

Bluebirds  have always been symbolically significant to my family and others, but they are also an environmental success story.   Between the 1930s and the 1980’s the population of bluebirds in the US had declined by 90%. They were truly endangered. By the time I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s in southwestern Wisconsin, bluebirds were rare. Pesticides contaminated their invertebrate foods, and nesting cavities were in short supply. Sighting a bluebird was a rare treat that took on mythic proportions in my family. Bluebirds have come to symbolize all things good and beautiful.

Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW)  When BRAW was organized in 1986, it was estimated that the Eastern Bluebird population in its historic range had declined by 90% during the preceding 50 years due to changes in agriculture practices, competition from the House (English) Sparrow and European Starling, severe weather in its central and southern winter range, and the loss of nest sites, such as tree cavities and hollow wooden fence posts.  Today, bluebirds are common in suitable habitat thanks to the work of citizen volunteers placing bluebird nesting boxes in the right places and working to protect their habitat.  It makes me hopeful so I paint bluebirds of happiness and give them plenty to eat.

Thoughts Are Reality, 16 x 20 Watercolor on canvas, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

Nikki and I communicate periodically even when we are not engaged in a creative project like this.  We like to check in on each others’ lives and art making, sharing opportunities and interesting resources.

We occasionally exchange TED videos lectures that catch our attention.  TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.  Since that time the field have broadened.  The annual TED conferences, in Long Beach/Palm Springs and Edinburgh, bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less).  If you haven’t checked them out its well worth your time to do so.

One of my all time favorites Ted thinkers is by Sir Kenneth Robinson.  You can check out his lecture here:  http://blog.ted.com/2008/06/20/whats_the_best/

Another video I shared with Nikki was this TEDx  lecture by Bryan Franklin. ( TEDx, in the spirit of ‘ideas worth spreading,’ is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.)  Nikki had a different reaction  to it than I did.  She did this great process painting to express the issues, ideas, and concerns raised by the perspectives he shares.

Here is another view of Nikki’s painting.  Its painted on a canvas specially treated to accept watercolor.

Side view, Thoughts Are Reality, 16 x 20 Watercolor on canvas, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

Sometimes the process of making is more or just as important as the end product.  While art making isn’t therapy , it can be therapeutic.  For me art making can be a form of meditation or a place to explore feelings and ideas without worrying about end products.  Restricting yourself to creating art works that are exclusively  created with the idea of appealing to an imagined market or buyer can keep you from enjoying the wonderful, freeing expressive potential of the art experience.

This 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project has been wonderful at immersing us in the creative process and helping us avoid over thinking our work (always something to be avoided at least until the work is done and we are making decisions about what to do in making the next piece of art).

We are enjoying this experience of creative exchange and all the expressive potential its bringing us.  Thank you for joining as we reflect on our creative process and friendship!

I am making my daily works for this project available for sale online in my Meylah shop here: http://meylah.com/HelenKle​besadel  I post them each day after they are posted in the blog.

Tumbling Spirits, 7 x 7, watercolor, ©2011 Nikki Kinne

Welcome to day twenty-nine in the 33 Paintings in 33 Days Project of Alaskan artist  Nikki Kinne and Wisconsin artist Helen Klebesadel.

In painting 29 Nikki is playing with a traditional image in new manners. She uses a figurative knot design and makes it her own by making the figures appear like transparent fairies tumbling in the grass.  Her brush strokes offer gestures that create movement through areas of lifted out color, while trees in the  background are subtly present supporting the nature spirits in their play.

Crow Gather Study, 9 x 12, watercolor, ©2011 Helen Klebesadel

Most evenings at dusk the crows in my neighborhood gather one place to socialize and caw their messages to the world.  When they chose the large maple that shades my studio I feel like I’ve been chosen to receive a special blessing.  I  consider it an auspicious occasion.  I am happy with this image and plan to revisit it in a way that more strongly associates night arriving with the gathering of the crows.

Thank you for enjoying our creative journey with us.

I am now making my daily works for this project available for sale online in my Meylah shop here: http://meylah.com/HelenKle​besadel  I post them each day after they are posted in the blog.